Fostering a culture of growth: How Veeva does it
At the core of every employee experience is the need to learn and grow. In searching for an organization to call home, it’s often one of the key boxes that need to be checked. When asked about how this happens at Veeva, the response from our team was a powerful, symphonic sentiment. Regardless of education, tenure, geography, department, or position, employees agree that the seeds of growth are plentiful and open for to you to cultivate. Among the many who commented on this topic, Greg Barker, an Engineer who joined Veeva in its founding years as an intern, had this to say:
Greg’s experience reflects some basic principles that are embedded into the Veeva culture and resonate with each person uniquely. In the larger picture of Employee Experience (EX), providing a fertile growth environment is essential, and if you identify as a self-starter, Veeva offers a launchpad to help you reach your full potential.
The Big Picture for Motivating Employees| Expanding the possible
A 2021 McKinsey workforce study outlined a series of EX factors that together create the “new possible” Among them, in the “Growth and Rewards” category employees ask the question: Am I given incentives and opportunities that help me learn, grow, and provide for my family? At Veeva, this is a resounding yes, due to a combination of formal and informal opportunities. For example:
Veeva employees enjoy an Employee Development Fund benefit that allocates a percentage of their salary to use at their discretion for education or other growth opportunities. Employees apply this in a wide-ranging set of personal and professional improvement categories, ranging from formal learning and development programs to user conferences to expanding their language skills, among many others. Opportunities for professional growth tie directly into the company’s culture and are a top priority for job candidates, according to the 2022 LinkedIn Talent Trends Report.
Beyond Veeva’s formal professional development programs lies a vast web of support from colleagues and leaders to help you chart a growth course or in Veevan terms, “captaining your own ship.” The cross-fertilization among teams also creates an on-the-job learning environment for ongoing professional growth. It rewards life-long learners and raises the bar for everyone.
From his high-velocity role in sales, Adam Miller hints at what the possible is at Veeva:
Adam is in good company. A recent employee poll at Veeva showed that career growth is key to their retention, with 78% noting it as one of the key factors of their employee satisfaction.
Want to thrive in fast growth and stable company?
Veevans agree that the company maintains an autonomous and entrepreneurial workplace climate even though it’s a public company with over 4500 employees that continues to rapidly expand. But unlike many startup situations, there’s a solid financial and human resource base to bolster the product and service expansions. Nonetheless, Veeva is committed to leading the industry AND to doing it in record time — speed is an essential company value.
From the employee’s point of view, the bar at Veeva is high. But the reality from the ground is that there is a huge support network to guide them to a safe landing. This senior engineer at Veeva clearly captures this sentiment:
“You might say ‘be careful what you wish for,’ because from day one I realized I had a lot to learn. The work was challenging. The tech stack was different. I also had to learn a new industry and product. I truly thought I was in over my head, and I knew I had to get it right. What got me through my learning curve were the many, incredibly bright people I work with — the manager that hired me and now my current manager.”
The open communications environment, which some call “running flat,” encourages every employee, regardless of role to reach sideways, up, and across departments to solve complex problems. Both peers and leaders contribute to an individual’s success, and this comes directly from leadership at the top. If you are on the fast track for a critical project or working through a hyper learning curve, your vast network at Veeva is there for you.
The Veeva EX-Factors| Growth Unplugged
Part of the “EX” at Veeva is its explosive growth as a company. It’s never boring and there’s always room to grow and expand your expertise, especially as the entire life sciences and pharma industry continues its digital transformation.
Developing and cultivating thought leadership in an individual’s area of expertise provides another dimension for growth. This isn’t confined to the usual suspects like people with long track records of expertise, consultants, and company executives. Veevans can carve out a niche at any point in their career, in any department, and across many facets of their life:
“I have learned much from the smart people around me at Veeva. I do not want to be the smartest person in the room and at Veeva that isn’t likely to happen. It motivated me to learn how to do things in new ways. I’ve learned agile, Python, and different styles of project management. I’ve been able to study economics over brown bag lunches and have even improved my ping pong game and found new running partners!
Earlier in my career, a mentor helped me learn about the importance of thinking strategically. I am putting that to good use at Veeva as it has helped me grow in my role as a leader. When I attend outside events and meet my peers, I can see the difference in the way we are empowered at Veeva. As a result, I joined a local cohort that gives back to the Dublin [Ohio] community using our leadership abilities, Kent Zoellner, Product Support
Veevans across cultures, levels of experience, and departments share one key trait — a zest for learning. Growth opportunities abound and employees jump at the chance to share their perspectives. If you are ready to step it up a notch, Veeva has many opportunities for you to join the team that fits your experience. Start your journey here.
Read more on this topic from the individual stories on the Meet a Veevan Blog on Medium.
